


I'll Protect You With My Life

by fallenrose24



Category: Xenoblade Chronicles 2
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-06
Updated: 2018-02-06
Packaged: 2019-03-14 19:44:39
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,174
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13597041
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fallenrose24/pseuds/fallenrose24
Summary: (Spoilers from Chapter 7) Mὸrag does whatever it takes to keep her Blade safe.





	I'll Protect You With My Life

**Author's Note:**

> Don't read this if you haven't finished Chapter 7!!
> 
> I always felt like Mὸrag deserved to have more of a reaction to what Azurda said about Blade's returning permanently to their core crystals. So, that's where this story originally came from. I turned it basically into little snippets of how Mὸrag and Brighid would react to certain parts of the journey in Spirit Crucible Elpys. I apologize if all the breaks disrupt the flow of the story, but I didn't have it in me to make this thing massive and fill in the gaps.
> 
> I'm not sure how I feel about the way this came out, but it's done! I was having some serious writer's block for awhile.

The air grew thicker the further they traversed into the cave’s depths. Each breath felt like it sat heavier and heavier in her lungs. Despite the discomfort, Mὸrag’s entire focus was aimed at the Blade trailing behind her. Brighid’s walk usually had a more confident gait, but the ether drain was clearly taking a toll on her already. Seeing her normally poised and empowered Blade subdued and slightly slumped pulled sharply at her heart strings. She had a gnawing urge to turn around and take her back to Fonsett… but that wasn’t an option.

They stopped when they were met with a sharp drop off and a rickety old bridge stretching across the abyss. Of course. A 500 year old cave… of course they would have to risk certain death crossing a bridge that hadn’t been maintained for centuries.

“We must proceed with caution.” Azurda’s voice broke Mὸrag’s train of thought. “Once we enter, the Blades will be sapped of most of their power. If they run out of energy, they might be forced to return to their core state. And there’s a chance they could never be reawakened.”

Brighid’s gasp was audible and her hand immediately clutched at her core crystal. Even with their connection dimmed by the caverns, Mὸrag could still feel her fear like a second skin. Her own heart beat painfully in her chest. Was this worth the risk? Could she actually justify following Rex if it meant she might lose Brighid?

No.

Mὸrag turned and wrapped her hands around Brighid’s, resting them against her chest. She stepped in close, ignoring the muffled shouting of the Tantalese Driver-Blade pair next to them. No words passed between them, just Mὸrag’s concerned expression… and Brighid’s eventual shake of her head.

“You can’t be serious!” the Ardainian hissed quietly in disbelief.

“Turning back is not an option.” Brighid sighed as she freed one of her hands and brought it up to her Driver’s cheek. “I’ve never known you to walk away from a challenge, Lady Mὸrag.”

“None of those have ever threatened _your_ life! You could end up lost forever down here.”

“You can feel it, can’t you?”

Mὸrag took a step back. “What?”

“My energy signature. You can feel how much strength I have.”

“Y-yes, of course.”

Brighid smiled. “Then you’ll know when it’s time to stop.”

Mὸrag lowered her head. “I can’t convince you otherwise?”

“I’m touched, truly, but I would never allow you to betray your sense of duty. I can manage just fine and you’ll know when I can’t long before it’s too late. There’s a benefit to having such a competent Driver… you don’t actually need to use much of my strength.”

The Ardainian sighed, but nodded in consent. There was no use arguing with the Blade once she had made up her mind. It was something they had in common. There was great risk in moving forward, but Brighid was right, their deep connection would keep her safe. And Mὸrag was more than capable of handling herself without Brighid’s full power igniting her weapons.

“Then you’ll keep our ether connection at its lowest point unless I ask for more.”

There was no room for argument.

Pandoria’s shout of anger crackled through the air and drew their eyes away from the fear that still resonated between them.

\---

A silent pact was forged between Mὸrag and Zeke as they continued their perilous journey. Encounters with monsters were kept to a minimum, but when they couldn’t avoid hacking and slashing their way forward, the two Drivers made it a point to put significant distance between them and their Blades. Brighid and Pandoria may have both stubbornly agreed to see their journey through to the end, but that didn’t mean Mὸrag and Zeke would give them any opportunity to use their failing strength. Brighid caught on to the scheme rather quickly and she shared an exasperated, but thankful, smile with her Driver before holding the young electric Blade back.

“Seems like we’ve both got the same idea, aye Flamebringer?”

“Naturally.”

Zeke’s blade cut through the Riik’s body with ease. “Well, let’s see if you can keep up!”

Mὸrag’s unlit whip took down the next beast and she threw a challenging smirk at the prince.

\---

The air grew thicker and thicker. Brighid’s gait became noticeably hindered, though she kept her head held high in defiance. Looking ahead, Mὸrag could see that Rex was too absorbed in his quest to notice the ailing strength of his companions. Having Tora and Poppi marching alongside him surely wasn’t helping matters as they were immune to this awful place. With a sigh, Mὸrag slowed her pace and maneuvered behind her Blade. She ran a comforting hand across the exposed skin of her back as Brighid passed her.

“Lady Mὸrag?”

The Adrainian shook her head. “Lead the way, Brighid. I will go at your pace. Rex and Tora are best suited to serve as the vanguard for now.”

The Blade smiled and nodded in gratitude.

It wasn’t long after that when Mὸrag called for them to stop and they all became keenly aware that Nia was succumbing to an ether sap to which she should have been immune.

\---

Minutes dragged on slowly as they continued along the winding path. Eventually, stone draped in spider webs gave way to a solid bridge jutting out across an eerie bottomless pit. At least this bridge looked much sturdier than the last. Blocking their way was a wall of dark green crystals, all sharpened to a deadly point. Brighid felt light-headed just thinking of the amount of energy she would need to expend to help them break through it.

She should have guessed that Rex would open the path with ease.

The new room they ventured into was perilous to say the least. Winding staircases paved a treacherously long road over an abyss and the air above was littered with gigantic, aquatic creatures. There was no chance they would make it to the other end without being caught, which meant they would have to survive a multitude of battles without plummeting over the narrow ledges. Great.

Mὸrag could sense her unease and reached out a reassuring hand. Brighid smiled as she grasped the gloved fingers briefly before pressing on after their companions. They had come too far now to turn back in fear.

As Brighid suspected, an enormous Marrin noticed them as they rounded a corner to a descending staircase. Mὸrag immediately drew her weapons and spared a glance at Brighid. It was clear that she would need her Blade close for this battle. Tora quickly drew the ire of the beast with Rex behind him, conservatively using Roc’s Arts when an opportunity arose. Zeke and Mὸrag stepped in front of Nia, allowing the ailing healer to conserve her strength while they combined their Blades’ powers to strike fiercely from the back. A critical blow of electricity and fire engulfed the Marrin and it spun in the air with rage – a new target in its sights.

It all happened too quickly.

The giant’s tail slammed down on the stone walkway, knocking Mὸrag and Zeke down the steps. The Marrin didn’t follow after them. A stream of viscous water shot from its mouth, cutting through the cloud of dust that was obscuring them all from view. It coated Pandoria and Brighid.

Mὸrag felt it instantly, the immediate and painful drain. Brighid cried out and her heart seized. Quickly, she scrambled to her feet and darted up the steps. Zeke called out for her, but she refused to hear it. All she could see was Brighid kneeling in a pool of thick water, liquid dripping from her elbows, refusing to be boiled off by the now dampened heat of her arms and legs.

And the Marrin moving in for a finishing strike.

She lunged forward as the foul beast slammed its tail down once more. On instinct, she spun with her blades crossed over her chest and deflected the powerful blow. The momentum of the attack was enough to make her stumble. The Marrin was relentless. Brighid screamed for her, but there was nothing she could do. Another swipe of its thick tail collided with the retracted blades and Mὸrag’s unsteady footing failed. She was easily knocked to the side… over the edge of the bridge.

Her right arm slammed down, piercing one of her whip-swords into a crack in the old stone. Mὸrag’s grip on the hilt slipped, but as she swung her body back toward the ledge her fingers found purchase along the length of her embedded blade. The sharp edge cut through her palm as she tightened her grip and pulled her body up enough to throw her left arm over the edge. Her gloved fingers scraped desperately for something to hold as her body dangled helplessly over the bottomless pit.

A barrage of electricity and wind slammed into the Marrin and Mὸrag breathed a sigh of relief as Rex and Tora ran up and stood between her and the giant creature. Zeke knelt down in front of her and wrapped an arm around her left bicep.

“C’mon, Mὸrag, this is no time to go throwing yourself off a ledge for kicks.”

The weakened man pulled and Mὸrag dropped the whip-sword in her left hand to grip at his arm. Slowly, he began to drag her back over the ledge. Pandoria and Nia yanked at the back of her coat and helped pull her up until her knees finally hit the cold stone.

“Geez! Either your armor weighs a ton or you’ve got quite the fatty gut tucked into that uniform of yours, Flamebringer.”

That earned him a deadly glare as Mὸrag rose to her feet. “I may owe you all a debt of gratitude, but that won’t stop me from lighting you on fire, Zeke.”

A loud screech killed their banter and they all turned and watched the Marrin sink into the murky depths of the abyss below. Mὸrag spared a brief glance at Rex and Tora who were high-fiving before she turned to find her Blade. Brighid was still on the ground and Mὸrag’s heart plummeted. She quickly yanked her weapon out of the stone and holster both of them before racing down the walkway.

“Brighid!”

She skidded to a halt and sank to her knees, pulling her drenched Blade against her chest.

“L-Lady Mὸrag.” Hands gripped at her coat.

Her energy signature was weak… too weak. Desperately, Mὸrag dragged her arms over Brighid’s skin, trying to soak up as much of the water as she could. Her damn uniform wasn’t absorbent enough.

“I…I’ll be alright.”

Like Hell she would. Mὸrag could hear the others approaching, but she paid them no mind. Her arms wound tighter around her Blade and she pressed her nose into Brighid’s damp hair.

“I suggest we find a safer place to rest.” Azurda’s voice broke the silence. “No doubt that Marrin had friends. Let’s make our way through the tunnel up ahead and then we can give Brighid the time she needs to recover.”

The company all murmured in agreement and Zeke stepped forward.

“Need me to-“

Mὸrag ignored him and swiftly stood with Brighid cradled in her arms. Without a word, she made her way toward the tunnel. Her senses were clouded over by the shallow sound of Brighid’s breathing, the weakened grip she still had on the front of her coat, and the fading warmth of their usually strong connection.

Gingerly, she knelt down and sat on the cold floor beneath the archway of the underpass, letting Brighid sit in her lap and curl up against her chest. The others joined them, merely passing concerned looks as they watched the Adrainian pair. Azurda’s warning from before was on each of their minds. They had all agreed to the risk… but watching one of their companions potentially succumb to the cruel reality of the caverns was hard to stomach. As was the distraught look on Mὸrag’s face.

A gloved hand reached up and pressed against Brighid’s core crystal.

“Gramps?” Rex’s brow furrowed as he watched Mὸrag pull Brighid even tighter against her. “Will she be okay?”

“It’s hard to tell. An attack like that would normally only dampen her power…”

“Like with the water tank in Gormott?”

“Indeed. I imagine she recovered not long after we made our escape, but that was because there was plenty of ether in the atmosphere to pull from. Here… well, we’re all at a significant disadvantage.”

“And there’s nothing we can do?”

Azurda shook his head solemnly. “Not apart from what Mὸrag is already trying.”

“Huh?”

Zeke slapped his palm against the ground. “She’s bloody insane!”

Rex looked closely at the pair in confusion. “What’s going on?”

Dromarch moved gingerly forward, catching the salvager’s attention. “It appears Lady Mὸrag is attempting to transfer energy into Lady Brighid’s core.”

“But ether energy come through connection from Blades, not Drivers.”

Rex nodded at Tora. “That’s right, so how can Mὸrag do anything?”

“Once you resonate with a Blade, your connection is never completely broken. There is always some amount of ether flowing through your veins – it acts as a guiding path when a Blade attempts to push in more energy during battle. Lady Mὸrag is attempting to give that bit of strength back.”

“It’s more than that, though.” Zeke shook his head. “Look at her, she’s growing weaker by the second.”

Azurda nodded. “That’s because Mὸrag is allowing Brighid to tap into her own cellular energy reserves. It’s an ancient practice that I’ve not seen used widely… it requires quite a strong bond between Driver and Blade. She’s essentially allowing Brighid to drain her life force.”

“What!?” Rex made a move to dart forward, but Nia gripped his wrist tightly.

“Don’t. Leave ‘em be.”

“But-“

“You don’t get to tell ‘em what to do. They risked their lives comin’ down here… we all did… if Mὸrag wants to try savin’ her Blade, she gets to do that any way she wants. None of us can do anything, so let her try.”

Rex sighed and stood back, watching with baited breath as Brighid finally lifted her head.

“That’s enough… Lady Mὸrag.” Brighid struggled to pull her Driver’s hand away from her core crystal.

“Not yet.” The stubborn woman pressed her fingers down even firmer. “Take… take whatever strength you need.”

The Blade reached up, gripped the sides of Mὸrag’s face and forced her to meet her hidden gaze. “Don’t be… foolish. If you siphon too much of your energy… you’ll die and… and this will be for nothing…”

Mὸrag sighed and leaned forward, nuzzling the side of her partner’s face. “I care little for what it does to my strength. I just… I need you to be alright.”

Brighid dropped a hand down and yanked hard, finally breaking the contact between the gloved fingers and her chest. “It’s enough.”

The moment the words left her lips, she found herself engulfed in a tight embrace. A hand cupped the back of her head and the other grasped tightly at the fabric of her dress against her waist. She could feel the slight tremors running through Mὸrag’s body as the fear and anguish overwhelmed her. Her strength was still limited, but she had more than enough to wrap her arms around her broken Driver and hold her close.

“I’m alright.” She whispered it over and over again in Mὸrag’s ear. “I’m alright.”

\---

Nearly losing her treasured Blade had Mὸrag on edge for the rest of their journey. When she had finally calmed down and Brighid had assured her she could stand, she had agreed to press forward with a bit of reluctance plaguing each step. She might have agreed to journey on, but that didn’t mean she would willingly put Brighid at risk again.

It wasn’t long before they found themselves at a dead end in a room emblazoned with the emblem of the Leftherian Archipelago. One step forward and an army of phantoms rose from the ground.

Mὸrag unsheathed her whips, ignoring the sting of the deep cut in her hand as it stretched across the hilt. She darted forward quickly, breaking any ether connection Brighid might have been about to start. Zeke followed suit, striking at the Phantasms and bolstering Mὸrag’s slightly sluggish blows. They worked as a team, keeping their Blades at a safe distance and merging their ailing strength. It was hardly enough and eventually the two Drivers were tossed back against the stone floor. Brighid and Pandoria were at their sides in an instant.

“Enough, you two.” Brighid helped Mὸrag to her feet. “We fight as one.”

“Yeah, we’re helping no matter what!” Pandoria smacked Zeke on the back in frustration. “Stop trying to protect me! That’s my job!”

With reluctant sighs, they turned back to the group of approaching ghosts and readied their weapons. The fight dragged on until they were nearly defeated… and then Nia startled them all.

\---

There was no warning, just Rex calling out to no one, and then the ghosts vanished into thin air. Nia and Tora both stumbled back and raced to the young boy who stood as if he were in a trance. Mὸrag and Zeke fell to their knees in exhaustion. Pandoria darted under the prince’s arm, draping it over her shoulder as she took on some of his weight. Brighid’s hands wrapped firmly around Mὸrag’s biceps and pulled her up swiftly. The Ardainian nearly lost her footing and stumbled into her Blade.

“Brighid?”

She gripped the back of Mὸrag’s coat tightly. “You were foolish to still try fighting without me after you…”

“You can’t blame me for wanting to keep you safe.” Mὸrag pulled back from the embrace just enough to rest a hand against Brighid’s face. “Did you really think I would willingly risk you again after you nearly… after what happened with that Marrin?”

Brighid shook her head. “I’m sure you would have been able to reawaken me.”

“That’s not the point. I have a very good reason for not wanting you to lose your present memories of me.”

Brighid hardly cared if the others were watching. She leaned forward and pressed her lips firmly against Mὸrag’s. The kiss was brief, but it calmed both their hearts enough to temper their fear of losing each other. Brighid stayed close and brushed her nose against her Driver’s.

“Every version of me would love you.”

“I only want _thi_ s you.”

They shared a smile and a heartbeat. For a moment, they breathed each other in and relished in the fact that they had survived yet another obstacle in this accursed dungeon.

Mὸrag’s eye filled with warmth. “I don’t need to share a piece of your core crystal for my life to be tied to yours.”

Brighid’s heart nearly burst.

Silently, she wrapped her fingers around one of Mὸrag’s wrists and brought the gloved fingers to rest against the glowing flame on her chest.

Together, they turned and waited with baited breath for Rex to awaken.

**Author's Note:**

> Shameless plug, but I did illustrate my favorite scene from this:  
> http:// fallenrose24 . tumblr . com / post / 170485097387 / i-think-my-hand-just-died-this-is-a-scene-from-a


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